Rinse the quinoa and drain well.
Put the quinoa in a dry pan and set on fire.
Stirring leaves you dry quinoa.
When the quinoa as well as dry you pour a little olive oil and stir through.
Toast the quinoa in about 10 minutes until crisp and golden.
Stir occasionally intervening to make the quinoa cooks evenly and puffs and prevent burn in this way.
When you hear the quinoa literally puffing you know that the quinoa is ready.
Taste it first cautious one and if you quinoa crunchy and delicious than you spoon the quinoa on a plate and let cool.

Create a kaleidoscope of color and flavor with these rice paper rolls which are gluten free, low in fat and kilo-joules.

INGREDIENTS

100g (1/2 cup) MoroccoQuinoa®

225ml water

30g palm sugar, finely chopped

5 teaspoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon tamarind puree

1 small garlic clove, crushed

2 teaspoons lime juice

3/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated

400g beef rump steak

2 green shallots, thinly sliced

12 rice paper sheets, 22cm in diameter

1 long fresh red chilli, thinly sliced diagonally

12 large fresh mint leaves

150g bean sprouts

12 fresh coriander sprigs Select all ingredients

METHOD

Step 1

Place MoroccoQuinoa® and 185ml (3/4 cup) water in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring, for 10-12 minutes or until quinoa is tender. Cool slightly.

Step 2

For sauce, place sugar, fish sauce, tamarind, garlic and remaining water in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Simmer for 2 minutes or until thickened slightly. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in juice and ginger. Cool.

Stir shallot and 3 tsp sauce into quinoa. Dip 1 rice paper sheet in cold water for 10 seconds or until starting to soften. Drain on a clean tea towel. Place on a work surface. Place 2 chilli slices and a mint leaf along centre. Top with a little quinoa mixture, bean sprouts, steak and coriander. Fold in ends. Roll up firmly to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining sheets. Serve with the remaining dipping sauce.

NUTRITION

1618 kj

ENERGY

8g

FAT TOTAL

2g

SATURATED FAT

3g

FIBRE

33g

PROTEIN

43g

CARBS (TOTAL)

All nutrition values are per serve

NOTES

For a tasty Asian dressing, combine a little of the leftover tamarind with lemon juice, fresh lemongrass, brown sugar and fish sauce.

Quinoa, the sacred “mother grain” of the ancient Inca civilisation suppressed by Spanish conquistadors, could become an increasingly important food source in the future thanks to genetic secrets revealed in a new study.

Scientists said they have mapped the genome of quinoa and identified a gene that could be manipulated to get rid of the grain’s natural bitter taste and pave the way for more widespread commercial use.

Quinoa already grows well in harsh conditions such as salty and low-quality soil, high elevations and cool temperatures, meaning it can flourish in locales where common cereal crops like wheat and rice may struggle. But the presence of toxic and bitter chemicals called saponins in its seeds has been one of the impediments to extensive cultivation.

Plant scientist Mark Tester of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia said the research pinpointed a gene that guides production of saponins in quinoa. This knowledge could enable breeding of quinoa without saponins, to make the seeds sweeter. Currently, quinoa grain must be processed through washing and drying after harvest to remove saponins.

“Quinoa is currently greatly under-utilised,” said Tester, who led the research published in the journal Nature. “It is highly nutritious, with a high protein content that, importantly, has a very good balance of amino acids, which is unusual for our major grains. It is gluten free and high in vitamins and minerals, too.”

Increased quinoa production could improve food security on a planet with unrelenting human population growth, Tester said. There are potential disadvantages to reducing saponins, perhaps increasing susceptibility to fungal infections or bird predation, Tester added.

Quinoa, which boasts a nutty flavour, can be used the same ways as rice and wheat. It can be cooked and served on its own, turned into pasta, put in soups, eaten as a cereal or fermented to ake beer or chicha, a beverage of the Andes. The crop was sacred to the ancient Incas, who called it “chisoya mama,” or the “mother grain.”

Cook ½ dry quinoa in 1 ½ cups of water until the quinoa is nice and fluffy about 15 minutes.
Combine the milk with the vinegar and set aside for a few minutes. Meanwhile sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and combine.
In the bowl with the milk add the maple syrup, vanilla and oil and stir well.
Add the quinoa to the dry ingredients and combine the liquids with the dry ingredients and mix.
Heat a pan with vegan butter or coconut oil and drop 3 tbsp worth of batter into the pan. Cook until bubbles form on the top and the sides turn brown, then flip and cook for another minute on medium heat.
Serve on a plate and drizzle with syrup if you like.